The Road to Resilience

Based on the life of author G. L. Gooding’s mother, Velma Steele, The Road to Resilience continues the saga first introduced in Where Courage Began. There, the readers met five-year-old Velma, her young siblings, and her suddenly widowed mother Alice.Now, It’s Christmas Day 1924 and young Velma is still breathless from the dramatic events of the previous night. She remembers with joy participating along with many of her community in rallying around an isolated family in a moment of great need. As years pass, Velma continues working hard at school and putting in endless hours helping her widowed mother and older sister. Together they support the family during the economic hardships in rural America that foreshadowed the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Uprooted yet again by this national tragedy, the family’s indomitable spirit and endless spunk help sustain them. Along the way, Velma begins to envision a brighter future in spite of continuing hardship. Then, as a young woman, Velma meets handsome Jack Gooding and in the briefest of time, realizes she has found her one true love. Now equipped with hard-earned life skills, she feels confident in facing the vagaries of life with Jack at her side. Together they begin pursuit of shared dreams amid a turbulent world. All too soon, however, her resilience and courage must endure the greatest challenge yet.            A lasting tribute to life in Dallas County, Iowa, The Road to Resilience is book two in the heartwarming series that mirrors the struggles of a generation, shining a special light on the Midwestern love for God, the land, hard work, family, and friendship.  3